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Panchayati Raj Institutions Can Boost Water Security

Writer's picture: Development ConnectsDevelopment Connects

India’s Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) hold immense potential to address the challenges of water security and agriculture sustainability at the grassroots level. With the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992, PRIs were given a constitutional mandate over 29 critical subjects, including agriculture, minor irrigation, watershed development, and animal husbandry. This devolution of power aimed to empower rural communities to drive social justice and economic development.


In a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for the majority of rural populations, ensuring water security is essential for sustaining agricultural productivity and rural prosperity. Water, a vital resource for agriculture, is inherently local and requires region-specific solutions. However, challenges such as depleting groundwater, erratic rainfall, and insufficient irrigation systems make effective water management complex and necessitate collective planning and execution.


Challenges Faced by Gram Panchayats

Despite efforts to empower gram panchayats (GPs) through decentralization and increased funding, they face several barriers in fulfilling their responsibilities effectively:

· Short-term Focus: Development schemes often prioritize immediate goals, neglecting sustainable long-term solutions. For example, watershed development projects frequently build storage infrastructure in valleys without addressing upstream ridge treatments, compromising comprehensive water management.

· Resource Constraints: GPs are tasked with managing multiple development programs across education, health, and agriculture but lack sufficient personnel and technical expertise.

· Technological Gap: PRI functionaries often struggle with integrating technology, such as geotagging conservation infrastructure under MGNREGA, leading to ineffective implementation.

· Limited Participation: Gram sabha meetings, though essential for participatory planning, are often infrequent or poorly attended, resulting in unstructured and inadequate decision-making.



Transformative Practices in Chhattisgarh


The partnership between Transform Rural India (TRI) and HUF in Chhattisgarh illustrates how panchayats can effectively address water security challenges. The region, characterized by heavy monsoon rainfall but recurring summer droughts, showcases the importance of leveraging platforms, building capacity, and fostering collective action.

Community Participation and Ownership:Self-help groups (SHGs), comprising members of every rural household, play a pivotal role in water security planning. Women, who occupy half the GP seats in Chhattisgarh, bridge SHGs and panchayats, ensuring collective ownership of solutions. For instance, SHGs in 200 villages collaborated with GPs to assess water needs, resulting in over 9,000 actionable plans submitted to block administrations.

Capacity and Capability Building:PRI representatives and communities benefit from tailored training in water security and technology. TRI’s initiatives introduce geographic information systems (GIS) for watershed planning and provide SHG members with technical know-how to design effective interventions. By integrating programs like MGNREGA and NRLM, which target the same communities, the partnership maximizes impact through a holistic approach.

Perspective Building Through Coordination:The creation of Gram Panchayat Coordination Committees (GPCCs) enables structured collaboration among SHGs, elected representatives, and local functionaries. These committees facilitate integrated planning by engaging multiple stakeholders, aligning schemes across sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and women’s welfare, and embedding water security plans into the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).



A Path Forward

The experiences in Chhattisgarh underscore the importance of systemic approaches in addressing water security through PRIs. To maximize their potential, panchayats must adopt an integrated framework that aligns short-term actions with long-term sustainability goals. This requires:

· Regular capacity-building programs for PRI functionaries to bridge skill and technology gaps.

· Strengthened platforms for inclusive participation, ensuring gram sabhas are representative and effective.

· Convergence of flagship programs and funding towards cohesive water management strategies.

· Active community engagement to foster ownership and accountability in implementing solutions.

By equipping PRIs with the tools, knowledge, and collaborative mechanisms needed for sustainable water management, India can enhance its agricultural resilience and rural prosperity. Panchayats, as the closest tier of governance to rural communities, are uniquely positioned to drive these transformative changes and secure the nation’s water future.


Note : This narrative is based on the work and insights of Rishu Garg, a seasoned development professional, and Neeraja Kudrimoti, an advocate for climate action and sustainable agriculture.

 

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